Obituary of Ronald H. Anderson

Ronald Henry (he disliked that middle name, no offense to his Poppy, whom he was named after) Anderson was born at the New Berlin Hospital on September 15, 1943, son of Fred and Ellen Nelson Anderson. One of his earliest memories of New Berlin was standing in the yard of a house on the south side of Genesee Street, hiding behind his caregiver's skirts, when the bells tolled, and the half-tracks rolled down the street in celebration of the end of World War 2. Ron spoke of living in the old house on North Main Street and living on the Banner Hatchery, helping take care of thousands of chickens as a little boy. This is where he attained his absolute disdain for chicken and biscuits, or anything chicken, for that matter. He loved to play football as a young man, and to watch it for the rest of his life. Once he retired in 2004, he vowed to never miss another college football game, and he didn't! Go Fighting Irish! Ron was proud of his Swedish heritage, always felt he was really a Viking in disguise, and in his younger years was a regular at the Swedish Picnic. And, as we all know, he loved his lala (vodka!). He was proud of his Army career (1977-1982) with an earlier enlistment in 1961 and his time with the US Postal Service in Binghamton (1985-2004). He started his Army career as a Combat Engineer, but reclassed after they dropped a bridge on him in 1977 and was credentialed as a nuclear power plant operator. Around that time, the Army decommissioned their last nuclear plant on the Potomac near Fort Belvoir. As a Prime Power Production Specialist, he helped build the Abrahms tank test range in Fort Greely Alaska during the second half of 1979, returning in time to provide power for the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid. He spent some time catching tropical skin conditions in El Salvador and Panama, was decorated for his part in the Haitian boat lift in 1981. He managed to get to the Marshall Islands, American Samoa, Shemya, and was part of the aborted cleanup of Eneuetak Atoll. His time in the USPO was spent keeping building sized machines running, keeping the shift supervisor off his back, and engaging in hijinks with his buddies Greg Nowark and Ron Lee. He is survived by his wife of almost 50 years (May 31 will be 50 years) Kathy (Boeck) Anderson; married by Rev Paul Carpenter in the Mt. Upton United Methodist Church; his children: Lori Tullos of San Angelo, TX, Lisa Anderson of Wichita, KS, Brenna O'Connell of Mt Upton, Diana (Jeremy Melton) Anderson of Newark, CA, and Seth (Meagan) Anderson of West Point, NY; his sister, Joan (Mike) Allen of New Berlin; granddaughter, Kylee O'Connell of Mt. Upton and grandson, Erik Anderson of West Point; grandchildren Jacob, Levi and Silas Tullos and Chloe Vasquez of Texas, Sarah Evans of South Carolina and Jacqueline Yates of North Carolina; brother-in-law, Rick (Jimmilea) Boeck of Hilo, HI; great-grandchildren Liam and Kilian Tullos and Luke Vasquez of Texas, and Scarlet Evans and Violet Baucom of North Carolina. He is also survived by a number of nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his parents, Fred and Ellen Anderson, his son Stephen Anderson and his granddaughter, Savannah Tullos. Folks who remember Ron when he was well know that he loved a good joke, was always up for a prank, and liked his parties. He always said that when he croaked, he didn't want any sad stuff, just a good rousing Swedish wake. He also said he wanted to be put on a Viking Funeral ship, lit and pushed down the Unadilla River. And, for the record, most people in his life knew him only as "the Old Goat." The things you find out in obituaries! If you want to hear the rest of the story, you have to come to the party! Memorial services with military honors will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, March 1, 2025 at the Mt. Upton United Methodist Church, 1741 State Highway 8, Mt. Upton, NY 13809. A gathering will follow at the Sidney American Legion Post 183, 22 Union St. Sidney, NY 13838. Memorial donations in Ron's memory may be directed to the Mt. Upton United Methodist Church.